The following is a nice, soft, sweet bread that is less crumbly than your standard loaf bread so it makes good sandwiches. We didn't have a loaf pan, so we baked it free form with some fancy maneuvering to make it not flatten out.. if you have a pan, I suggest using it.
Buttermilk Honey Bread
3/8 cup warm water
1/2 tbs instant yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 cups buttermilk, warmed up a bit (not hot or you'll kill the yeast)
1 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 tbs honey
1/2 tbs salt
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Stir together the water, yeast, sugar, buttermilk, butter, honey, salt. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix it in with your hands until it's homogenous. Then slowly mix in the rest of the flour. Knead the dough for a really long time, adding more flour whenever it gets sticky. It should be very smooth and pass the windowpane test when it's ready (i.e. be able to be stretched enough to see light through it without ripping). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat, and cover the bowl with a clean towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about an hour or a bit more.
Punch down your dough gently, form it into a ball by stretching its surface and tucking it under (if you don't know how to do this, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjZAGc2xyqg&feature=related. Make sure you pinch the bottom edges together tightly so they don't come loose. Set it on the counter, cover it with a towel, and let it rise for another 45 minutes. If you're planning on baking it free-form, it helps at this stage to surround it with objects pressing against its sides (we used tinfoil and tea boxes) to keep it contained in a small area so that it doesn't flatten out. If you're using a pan, don't worry about it.
1/2 tbs instant yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 cups buttermilk, warmed up a bit (not hot or you'll kill the yeast)
1 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 tbs honey
1/2 tbs salt
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Stir together the water, yeast, sugar, buttermilk, butter, honey, salt. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix it in with your hands until it's homogenous. Then slowly mix in the rest of the flour. Knead the dough for a really long time, adding more flour whenever it gets sticky. It should be very smooth and pass the windowpane test when it's ready (i.e. be able to be stretched enough to see light through it without ripping). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat, and cover the bowl with a clean towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about an hour or a bit more.
Punch down your dough gently, form it into a ball by stretching its surface and tucking it under (if you don't know how to do this, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjZAGc2xyqg&feature=related. Make sure you pinch the bottom edges together tightly so they don't come loose. Set it on the counter, cover it with a towel, and let it rise for another 45 minutes. If you're planning on baking it free-form, it helps at this stage to surround it with objects pressing against its sides (we used tinfoil and tea boxes) to keep it contained in a small area so that it doesn't flatten out. If you're using a pan, don't worry about it.
Preheat to 375. Grease your loaf pan if you're using one. If not, put a bit of parchment on a baking stone or baking sheet. Put your boule in your pan of choice and bake 45 minutes, or until very brown (don't underbake it our it will be soggy inside). Let it cool COMPLETELY before slicing (or it will be soggy).
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